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What are map symbols? Maps give us a lot of information and there is not much room for labels. So we use symbols to save space and make the map easier to read. Symbols may be simple drawings, letters, shortened words or coloured shapes or areas. Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary

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Cartographer considers the following in his process of selecting symbols and preparing maps: the intended use of the map; the map user requirements; available map reproduction method(s); the potential choise in communicating the information to the user (for example, symbol choice); the map scale. Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary

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Symbol basics Cartographers use symbols on maps to represent various geographic phenomena involving location, distance, volume, movement, function, process, correlation, etc. These phenomena can be classified into four basic categories: point (non-dimensional data), line (one-dimensional data), area (two-dimensional data), volume (three-dimensional data) (Wright, 1955). The challenge in cartographic symbol design is that four categories of data must be represented on maps by only three basic symbol types: point, line, and area. Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary

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In general, there are two basic symbol designs that may be used to portray information on maps, pictorial and abstract. Symbols that are pictorial look like the features that they represent. Symbols described as abstract may be any geometric shape assigned to represent a feature. Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary

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POSITION POSITION refers to the x, y, (and z) location of the information being mapped which determines the phenomena’s place on the map. All symbols used on a map makes use of this visual variable, therefore, POSITION always has to be used in combination with one or more of the other visual variables. POSITION visual variable is applicable to point, line and area primitives Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary

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Form Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary FORM refers to symbols which differ only in shape. FORM differences are easy to draw and the variations are almost unlimited. FORM is applicable to point, line, and area symbols, however, with respect to line and area symbols FORM refers to the individual elements with which the symbol is constructed and not the overall form of the line or area feature,

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Orientation Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary ORIENTATION refers to the direction in which symbols are placed. Depending upon the individual elements used, ORIENTATION has its limitation in terms of the number of angles each element can be rotated.

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Colour Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary COLOUR is perhaps the most powerful and most frequently used visual variable in symbol design. COLOUR is applicable to the three primitives

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Texture Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary TEXTURE refers to the variation in density of the graphic elements forming the overall symbol. TEXTURE is applied to the three primitives but it is less effective for point and line primitives unless they are exaggerated

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Value Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary Refers to values on the grey scale ranging from white to black. VALUE is measured in terms of the ability to reflect light. VALUE can also be applied to COLOUR visual variable. VALUE is applicable to the three primitives but predominantly used to represent area primitives

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Size Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary SIZE refers to the dimensions of the symbols or in the case of area symbols, to the dimensions of the individual elements with which the symbol is built up. SIZE is applicable to all three cartographic primitives however, commonly used for line and point primitives.

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Data Evaluation and Classification When a data set is large, it is not practical to assign a unique symbol to each data record. Therefore, for mapping it is essential that data is classified or grouped. There are several methods of classifying data. In choosing the right method, the level of measurement and the underlying distribution of the data set must both be considered. Data may be described and/or mapped as qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative data are data that are grouped in classes according to differences in type or quality. Qualitative data have no numerical values attached. Nominal data comes under this category. Quantitative data are data that contain attributes indicating differences in amount and can be expressed as numerical values. Included in this category are ordinal, interval, and ratio. Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary

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These variables, individually or in combination, may be applied to map symbol design. However, not all variables apply equally well to the symbolization of all types of geographic phenomena or data sets. Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary

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Nominal Data The symbolization of nominal or qualitative data is usually the least difficult. The variables of shape, pattern, and hue may be used for qualitative data. Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment – GEM August 2012, Szekesfehervar, Hungary

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Ordinal Data The symbolization of quantitative data is more complex, often there is a need to show data as a logical progression. Here, the variables of size and colour value are more important.